1st impressions of county football by Star sports staff

By Alan Ford & Clark Leonard

Published: Thursday, August 29, 2013 at 08:27 PM.

Shelby used a 28-point second half to earn the victory after trailing 21-17 in the third quarter.

Raekwon Washington picked up where he left off a season ago with more than 100 rushing yards and two scores, but Jaquavis Brooks also had a good night and scored twice. Quarterback R.J. George was an efficient 7-for-9 for 96 yards in his first varsity start.

The Golden Lion defense will have to better, particularly when the opposition is tougher.

Here's the Star Sports Staff's take on the opening week of action for Cleveland County high school teams:

Burns

Alan Ford: What mattered, anyway you look at it, was the Bulldogs got a win.

The Bulldogs are aiming to put four complete quarters together at Hunter Huss after seeing Ashbrook make a valiant fourth-period challenge last Friday.

Burns got the kind of offensive production it expected from its key skill people but special teams need some work. Also, few teams get as many snaps off in a contest as Ashbrook and that experience should help the Bulldogs win the battle with fatigue in the late stages of future games.

Clark Leonard: The Bulldogs started strong in their opener against Ashbrook before things got interesting. A double-digit lead at halftime could have been bigger if not for three lost fumbles in the first half.

The Bulldog offense showed an ability to stretch the field some with 6-foot-9 receiver Denzel Gullatte. But the unit’s greatest strength is backfield depth, with quarterback Chris Montgomery and running backs Tylan Ruff, Jalen King and Jaylin Hill all able to pick up key yardage.

Burns’ defense was tough against the run but fell victim to some big plays.

Crest

Alan: There’s a reason teams don’t want to play South Point early in the season and everyone at Sid Bryson Stadium saw why last week.

The Chargers had some bright spots, namely their running game in the second half as well as the explosive leg of placekicker Alex Trejo. Crest has some serious work to do in its passing game and also with its overall defensive pursuit once runners get past the line of scrimmage.

Ashbrook will give Crest coach Mark Barnes’ staff another gauge as to how the young Chargers are coming along.

Clark: The Chargers fell behind 21-0 and never seriously challenged South Point.

The good news for Crest is that probably won’t face a tougher opponent all season.

After falling behind, the Chargers were able to move the ball and have a strong 1-2 punch with Tre Harbison and Jalin Moore out of the backfield. But Crest will have to attempt more than six passes to keep opponents off-balance.

The Charger defense should improve as the season wears on, but facing an up-tempo Ashbrook offense in Week 2 won’t be easy.

Kings Mountain

Alan: The Mountaineers unveiled an effective quick passing game putting the football into the hands of some talented athletes. The ability to run the football well enough to keep the pass rush at bay paid dividends.

Perhaps the most positive sign was on the defensive side of the line of scrimmage. Shutting out Hunter Huss in the second half bodes well for the future.

From a motivational standpoint, the chance to go 2-0 this week can create the kind of momentum recent Mountaineer clubs have missed out on in the early season.

Clark: Coach Greg Lloyd has said all along the Mountaineers will be young, but that doesn’t mean they’ll back down. They showed that in last Friday’s opening victory against Hunter Huss.

The ability of Kings Mountain to come back from a 14-7 halftime deficit against a good opponent is a hopeful early sign.

Quarterback Brandon Bell had a solid opener with four total touchdowns and no interceptions. Through one week, the Mountaineers have the top yardage and scoring defense in the county.

Shelby

Alan: The Golden Lions got back to something against Polk County that had been their trademark through the years – running the football.

Shelby spread the wealth around on offense, which allowed the Lions’ to be effective in the passing game as well. Kicking specialist Luke Hayek showed how he can be a weapon as well.

Defensively Shelby struggled to get off the field, surrendering three time-consuming scoring drives. Against an A.C. Reynolds team this week that will look like a mirror image of Shelby in the spread offense, the ability to force kick exchanges will be pivotal.

Clark: It took the Golden Lions some time to get going in their opener at Polk County. But once they did, the touchdowns came in bunches.

Shelby used a 28-point second half to earn the victory after trailing 21-17 in the third quarter.

Raekwon Washington picked up where he left off a season ago with more than 100 rushing yards and two scores, but Jaquavis Brooks also had a good night and scored twice. Quarterback R.J. George was an efficient 7-for-9 for 96 yards in his first varsity start.

The Golden Lion defense will have to better, particularly when the opposition is tougher.